W-O-W!

That's all I can say about the Rascal Flatts/Taylor Swift concert that I went to on Thursday at Arco Arena.

Kaitlin and I left home just a little after 4, and made it to Cafe Bernardo just a little later. Kaitlin's good friends, Britney, is going to UC Davis, so she met us for dinner. That was pretty special for Kaitlin. I had the most delicious Thai Noodle Salad. I forgot to take a picture of it at the restaurant, so here's a picture of the leftovers.

Imagine it not in a to-go box, on a leaf of lettuce, with purple cabbage on top.

We made it to Arco and our seats during Taylor Swift's first song. Can I just say that I want her sparkly guitar! It's pretty! Problem, with the sparkly guitar and the sparkly pink dress there was a lot of sparkle and light reflecting. So most of my pictures of TS show her as a moving white blog. But I did get a couple good ones!

I like her backdrop... So simple...We took this one during intermission.

And then Rascal Flatts started. They were one of the best concerts I've ever been to. If you are a fan of theirs or of just country, GO SEE THEM!

There were pyrotechnics.

And bright lights.Even the troops came out!They spent half the time on a circular rotating mini stage closer to our seats.Kaitlin was happy!
And that is how I spent my Thursday evening.

Walk this Way!

Just don't walk on the floor yet!

Look at the pretty floor! I took the picture standing outside the front door. That's where I'm confined to when I go to the house, the front door or the back door. And that's the only places I can go until Tuesday. That's right, I can't go in until Tuesday. Yesterday was the stain. Today is a varnish sealer. Friday is a varnish sealer. Monday is a varnish sealer. That would be 1 layer of stain and 3 layers of varnish. Yep, I passed 1st grade, only took me 2 tries.

So no painting for me this weekend. At least, no painting walls and trim. I have chairs to paint. 2 more to be exact. Then cushion covers to put on them.

(I apologize for the not-so-great quality of the picture. My camera was in my purse, in the car. I had my cell phone with a camera. I was being lazy and didn't walk the 20 feet across the street to get my camera.)

Another bites the dust...

Tonight I fulfill one of my 2008 goals.

Tonight I'm going to a concert! Not just any concert, a Taylor Swift and Rascal Flatts concert...with my sister...and we're going to eat yummy food first. Besides the concert and hangin' with my sis, I'm really looking forward to the food, especially the Thai Salad. It's the most scrumptious noodley salad ever!

I'll take what pictures I can while out and about for the evening, and I'll let you know how the evening goes later.

And tomorrow, I'll be the one asleep at my desk.

Downward Trend

Just the way I like it! Here is a little chart that I've made with my decrease weight/increasing weight lose. I've removed the actual weights on the y-axis for my own personal privacy.

The dates and weights are based on my Weight Watcher weigh-ins that happen on Mondays.

Without including what I actually weight, I'll tell you that since the January 7th weigh-in I've lost 8.2 pounds. I'm only 1.8 pounds away from my goal of losing 10 by Jenn and Anthony's May 10th wedding. And then I'd only be 10 away from my 20 pounds for 2008 goal.

But with my 10 year reunion coming up the end of June, I've decided to add to my goal an extra 5 before the reunion. So, now my 2008 goal is 25 pounds, 15 before the end of June and another 10 by the end of the year.

Please help keep me motivated, hold me accountable, and slap my hand if I pick up a cookie.

Thanks!

Much love to homies!

Caution: Wet Paint

Oh my dearest readers, I apologize for not updating you lately with pictures of the progress of the house. The main reason for this is that when I go over there, I'm outfitted to paint. And well, I'm a messy painter and I'd like to avoid getting paint on my camera. My phone has survived and only gotten slimed once. Now I'm very careful where I put it and how I pick it up. Here are a few pictures for you, there are about a week old and a lot has happened in that week. At least a lot of painting has happened.

Oooohhhh, awwwww.... Look at the magnificent craftmanship with that tile work. That's my shower folk. The toilet is just across from it. I thought I'd spare you the details of that...for now... Shower door to be installed later.

This would be my counter and sinkless vanity in the bathroom.

And God said, "Let there be light." And then there was, in the hallway. Wow, I just noticed, it looks like the ceiling is way darker than the walls, but it's not. Everything is the same color... Cork Bark.

Man that window is dirty! Here is where my stainless steel sink will sit on my counterless cabinets.

When you turn around from the sink, this is what you see. Well, this is what you would have seen until this morning.

Who likes dark brown? Here is the built-ins with Mocha Mousse. The tape came down yesterday and everything was touched up, it looks great!

And the fireplace is with the same Mocha color. It looks really nice! The dark color on the same wall just opposite ends really balances it out.

Today... are you ready for this?... They started sanding the floors!!! That means we are near the end. It's a good and bad thing. The good thing is that means I get time off from painting. The bad news is that there is still stuff to be painted. But it's almost done and complete and then I can move and unpack and be a domestic single non-housewife. Who's more excited than me?!?!

I'll do my best to get in there this week to take some more updated pictures. But I won't make any promises. If there is stain or sealer on the wood floor I'm not stepping in.

If that's the case, you can find me working on my quilt, painting the dining room set, or packing.

Has it really be that long?

Yea, I guess so. 2008 - 1998 = 10 years! Holy cow! Yesterday I received the all dreaded e-mail informing me that it’s time for our 10 year High School Class Reunion. The e-mail went a little like this…

“Hey all,
After the first message went out, I received a lot of different feedback on dates. The majority of that feedback was to have the reunion later in the summer. So that's what we have done. The date of our reunion, barring any huge natural disaster, will be June 28, 2008. We need to book our location ASAP so if I could get some feedback right away that would be great. Double T (where we had our sober grad night) is one idea that has been thrown around. Does anyone have Adam A’s number so I could call and talk to him? Raju has also offered to let us use his place in Hilmar where he's done several very nice parties at. Other ideas have been Two Brothers (Turlock, CA) or possibly the Turlock Country Club. The facility is one of the biggest costs and setup/clean-up has to be considered at all these places. I would like as much input on this as I can so let me know your thoughts.

The other factor is cost. Last year, the class of '97 charged $50 per person. This cost covered facility, dinner, and dancing. Any drinks/cocktails were additional cost. Not everyone drinks, so they might like something like this, and others may not. Again, there are factors to consider, so all ideas are welcome.

Below is a list of people that I have contact information for: If you have contact information for people that are not on this list, please let me know. If you see a letter after their name, I am missing that corresponding information: (A - Address, E - Email, P - Phone).

I hope that everyone can make it. Please send me any questions that you have.

Thanks,

-CJ”
(I obviously left out the list of names; I don’t want to bore you with too much.)

Here’s the thing, I’m not so excited about this "monumental event." I didn’t have the most grand of high school experiences, and the people that I hung around with then I still see occasionally. Do I really want to participate in the parade of showing off spouses, photo albums of children, and who looks like what now? You probably would have never guessed it, but I wasn’t one of the “in” crowd while in high school; because I didn’t bath in money given to me by mommy and daddy, I didn’t get my nails done, I wasn’t a dairy kid or show dairy in FFA, and I wasn’t a partier/drinker (the regular weekend past time).

I think that I’m at a good place in my life. So what I’ve been living with my parents the last few years. The house that I’ve been working so hard on is so close to being done I can taste it and I’ll be moving into it before the end of the month. I’ve got a good job with a great company and make good money for a single person. I’m happy with myself and who I am. I have great friends. I’ve moved on and away from really caring about high school and the 4 years that I survived through.

But I have friends that are so excited about it. Why? I don’t know. Am I not excited because I have experienced other things in life beyond high school, like college, that brought better memories? Maybe it’s because I’ve gain a little bit of weight since graduating. Or maybe because I don’t have things/people to show off like others will with their family albums. Hummm...maybe I should bring pictures of my doggies...

All I know is this, if I’m going to the reunion, I’ve gotta drop 50 pounds quick. I’ll settle for 20 though.

Oh, and I’ve gotta find a date.
Wonder which will be easier, finding a date or losing the weight that I want/need to lose?

Movies I've Seen in 2008: March

Fool's Gold (theater) - This is a movie that I bet even guys would like! There's a rapper that's kinda like the mafia, shootings, treasure hunting and chase scenes. Good movie. I highly recommend it. Kate and Matthew have great on-screen chemistry, they are the new Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan.

August Rush (DVD) - I heard mixed review about this movie going into it. But the good out weighed the bad, so I went for it. I admit, it was a little slow. But it was a cute story and I got wrapped up emotionally in it. Yes, I shed a tear or two at the end. If you like music, watch the movie. If you like tear jerkers, watch the movie. If you just want to watch a movie with a happy ending, watch the movie.

Georgia Rule (DVD) - Ok, so this was a movie that I wanted to see when it was out in the theater, and Target had it cheap on DVD so I went ahead and bought it. The movie was not what I thought it was going to be about, but it was still a good flick. Lindsey Lohan plays her character perfectly, an out of control skanky slut. WOW, sound familiar? No wonder she played the part so well! The theme of the movie was parents not showing their love for their children and how it affects further generations. In the end, everyone loves everyone and they all tell each other.

House and Life Update

Tiling started today. Time to pause on painting trim, and start painting cabinets so they can be installed. I think dad decided on spraying the cabinets inside and out. So, I have to go get paint for the outside and sealer for the inside tonight. I'm thinking of painting til it's dark then going to lowe's, since they're open later than Kelly Moore. Although, the paint color is at Kelly Moore.... I better go to Kelly Moore. I also need to go to Target to get Allie's b-day present. I REALLY want to get my TV before they are off sale again, so I gotta go do that too. I need to go to Costco to get the wall mount, but that can wait; but it's probably better to get it now too. I also need to fill my glasses and contact prescription at the Optical area. I need to find out from Jenn how important it is for me to be at her bridal shower on Saturday, I'd much rather paint and get ahead of the game. Izzie had a vet appointment at 2:15 for her scratchy, itching problem.

I need 5 more hours in a day, and a 15 minute power nap. Oh, and a cloned version of me to sit at my desk and type "aljd;afj;lkjaksdljf;leij" all day to make it look like I'm busy and getting stuff done. And maybe 4 more arms would be nice, ones that stretch.

Wow I could really get the painting done then!

Time to leave work and get my real day started.

Did I mention that I'm also house sitting right now? Well, I am. For wealthy, family friends that are in Brazil on a missions trip. Must be nice! Oh well, I'll be paid in the end.

Love to you all!

In light of the Passover season...

Great Answer from the Judge

In Florida, an atheist became incensed over the preparation of Easter and Passover holidays. He decided to contact his lawyer about the discrimination inflicted on atheists by the constant celebrations afforded to Christians and Jews with all their holidays while atheists had no holiday to celebrate.

The case was brought before a wise judge. After listening to the long passionate presentation by the lawyer, the Judge banged his gavel and declared "Case dismissed!"

The lawyer immediately stood and objected to the ruling and said, "Your honor, how can you possibly dismiss this case? The Christians have Christmas, Easter and many other observances. Jews have Passover, Yom Kippur and Hanukkah... yet my client and all other atheists have no such holiday!"

The judge leaned forward in his chair and simply said, "Obviously your client is too confused to even know about, much less celebrate his own atheists' holiday!'"

The lawyer pompously said, "Your Honor, we are unaware of any such holiday for atheists. Just when might that holiday be, your Honor?"

The judge said, "Well it comes every year on exactly the same date - April 1st! Since our calendar sets April 1st as 'April Fools' Day', consider that Psalm 14:1 and Psalm 53 states, 'The fool says in his heart, there is no God."

"Therefore, in my opinion, if your client says there is no God, then by scripture he is a fool, thus April 1st is his holiday!"

Way to go, Judge!

A Blonde's Year in Review

January - Took new scarf back to store because it was too tight.

February - Fired from pharmacy job for failing to print labels. Hello!!!... Bottles won't fit in the printer!!!

March - Got really excited... Finished jigsaw puzzle in 6 months... Box said "2-4 years!"

April - Trapped on escalator for hours... Power went out!!!

May - Tried to make Kool-Aid... Wrong instructions... 8 cups of water won't fit into those little packets!!!

June - Tried to go water skiing... Couldn't find a lake with a slope.

July - Lost breast stroke swimming competition... Learned later the other swimmers cheated, they used their arms!!!

August - Got locked out of my car in rain storm... Car swamped because soft-top was open.

September - The capital of California is "C"... Isn't it???

October - Hate M & M's... They are so hard to peel.

November - Baked turkey for 4 1/2 days... Instructions said 1 hour per pound and I weigh 108!!

December - Couldn't call 911. "Duh"... There's no "eleven" button on the stupid phone!!!

You're Dirty!

The picture you're going to see below is quite disturbing. I like to call it "Peeps Gone Bad" or "The Ultimate Peep Show"...

Alright peeps, I'm off to hunt for eggs!

Happy Easter / Happy Birthday Mom!

Which came first, the chicken or the egg? Yea, I don't know either. But today is my Mama's birthday! I will keep her age a secret, because you never tell a woman's age. But for you Disney history buffs, she was born the same year Disneyland was built...

I love my Mommy! She's put up with a lot of my crap over the last 27 years. The first few years were mainly just cleaning up my crap, now I just feed her loads of it (not literally feed her loads of it...).

Mom is a Wii bowling champion, literally! She won the family bowling tournament at Thanksgiving against 19 others. But we all think it's because she practices during the wee hours of the night, she's a closet Wii player. Watch out for her swing, it's brutal!
She loves to cater, entertain, and serve others. Mom loves to have others over to make them dinner, or just serve them a glass of wine. She's always looking for an excuse to have another party!

And she loves playing the Easter Bunny ("I swear I hid one over here! Oh well, the dogs will find it.") No joke! It's becoming a challenge for herself to hide them in better places every year. This year, I had to take pictures of the backyard so she can mark the spots where she's hiding eggs.

Today my Mom shares a special day with a Special Person for a Special Purpose, and it won't happen again for, like, another million bagillion years. So... Happy Easter!

Don't forget one of the best things about this holiday is you get to eat colorful egg salad sandwiches!!!

Paint Swatches

Below are the swatches from Kelly Moore of the paint colors that are dwelling on the walls of the house that I will be moving into within the next couple weeks. Please keep in mind that the color on your screen isn't an exact replication on what is actually on the walls. To see that you're just going to have to come over.

Post note: Tile starts Monday!!!

Izzie and her ball.

I have a dog. Her name is Izzie. Izzie love her racquet ball. She loves it to the point that your arm is sore from throwing it for hours on end. And she will continue to chase it as long as you're willing to throw it. And if you're not, the ball will be in your lap and she'll give you the biggest begging eyes ever. When she wakes up in the morning it's the first thing she looks for. And don't bother hiding it, she'll find it. So one afternoon I decided to document Izzie and her ball, and I will insert my version of her commentary.

See my ball? Let's play!

But first my must bow to my ball, requesting it to bring me great pleasure.

Ok, this is what you're gonna do. You're gonna throw the ball and I'm gonna out run all these goons that think they can play with my ball too.
I won! But I think I got some grass too. Plah!

Ok, go again!

Maybe if I don't look too anxious my servant will pick it up and throw it again...

But only after I make sure everyone knows it's my ball. Ummm...cover it in slobber.

Ok, now that it's covered in slobber, pick it up and throw it. Please?

I'm back and ready for some more.
Crouched and ready to go. Come on, throw the ball already!

Note to you all who have a dog that loves the almighty racquet ball as much as mine does. Always go for the green balls that come as a 3 pack in the tube. Yes, they may be a little more expensive than the bulk 12 pack in a mesh bag from Target, but you'll see the difference. The green ones are slightly bigger and are harder to chew through. The blue ones are smaller and well, cheaper in all aspects. I promise you this ball was gnawed in half by the end of the day.

I'm an idiot!

How long have I had this blog now? Over a year, right? Well, I just found out something cool. Yep, I'm a bit slow. My sister Kaitlin, the one that just had a birthday, started a blog the other day.

My genius sister showed me something within the "blogging" system that I never knew about, and it was as easy as clicking a tab. See, I had been using the "Edit Html" option, and not "Compose". But "Compose" is where all of the cooler stuff happens. "Edit Html" is much more boring. In "Compose" you can actually see where the picture is located instead of the code for it. You can change the justification of the text, number and bullet lists, change the font(!), and see the actually bold, italics, or underline instead of the code. How awesome is that?!?

Yeah Kaitlin for teaching this old dog a new trick!

Happy Birthday BFF!

For exactly the next two months, we are the same age. Although I'm still older by 10 months, I love it when you have to say that you're the same age as me. It makes me feel a little less old.

A lot has happened in your life in the past year. You were engaged. You bought a house. You got married. Oh, and you changed office locations. And so did I. So know I work 20 feet from you.

Happy Birthday Rylen! Enjoy being 27!

I think it's time for another road trip...!

What up Bro?

24 years ago today, on March 13th, my life was ruined. I went from being a three year old only child, to having a sibling. A brother at that. Throughout the years we've had our ups and downs. The downs were the times as a little infant punk he peed on me. And there was the time when he was about 3 or 4 and was mad at me, and he bit me. I still have a scar. But as the only boy with 3 sisters, there were the times that he allowed us to curl his bowl cut hair and put makeup on him. Or more recently, when he decided that he wanted to join me in my occasional face mask routine.

I love my brother and I cherish and enjoy the times that he comes home to visit, like this coming week for his spring break. Do I love it because he brings his Wii home with him? Well of course. And do I love it that we pick on and tease our mom together? Yep. But I love it more just having him home and hanging out.

Happy Birthday Brother!

Love your bestest Sista! Cheers!

Painted Chairs

This picture represents one thing to me right now. Burning pain in my thighs!

Who knew you should stretch before and after squatting for 3 hours while painting chairs?

The house as of yesterday.

And technically today since the guys haven't worked since yesterday morning. Yep, that's right. They worked on a Saturday.

As you can see, the bathroom, utility closet, and back bedroom and closet are sheet rocked, taped, and mudded. No too much more to do. So painting should be happening this weekend. Let me know if you're interested in helping. The more painters the better.

Back bedroom. That's where I'll sleep.

Lookit! Soon I can shower. Watch out until then...no showering. At least there.

And I can go potty in the potty hole. Of course there will be an actual toilet.

And that's where I'll wash my clothes.

View from the living/dining room into the kitchen and the door to the back bedroom.

I took some really cool composition shots of random things in and around the house too. I'll post those sometime soon.

**Post note: As of Monday the kitchen is also sheet rocked, taped, and mudded. I was unable to upload pictures yesterday.

House Progress

After the crew took all of last week off they are finally back at work. As of this afternoon...
all of the framing has had the insulation installed.
just about all of the framing has been sheet-rocked.
the lining for the shower is being tested for leaks.
and their is a "pretty" hole for the toilet (or so I've been informed by my sister).

Pictures to follow today or tomorrow.

Let's pray for being able to paint next weekend. And choosing floor coloring, wall color, cabinet style, and cabinet stain color before next weekend.

So, I’m a little late…

But ...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KAITLIN! I love my sister. And don't tell anyone, but I'd say she's my favorite sister. Our personalities are similar, but different. We talk, we run errands, we fight, we cuddle while watching movies, we're sisters.


Kait turned the big 2-0 last Sunday, the 24th. We were making plans to fly away, just the two of us, for the big day. But that didn't happen.



So Ireland, we'll come visit another time.

2008 Goals: Update

WOW! 2 months are gone, and 10 to go. I think I'll occasionally will update you on how my goals for the year are going. So here ya go...

Lose 10 pounds...by May. Then another 10 by the end of the year.
I'm about 8 pounds down. Not even kidding!
Get a tattoo.
Well, I've had a temporary tattoo on my left foot for about 3 weeks that my sister put on me. I didn't even realize that they hold up that long. But I kinda like the placement and size of it. Now for the real one...
Move out.
Soon and very soon...
Go to Hawaii.
Looks like sometime in October we'll be going as a family.
Look into Grad School.
No progress.
Take and pass the GMAT.
Haven't even started looking into it yet. I've still got 10 months.
Weekend wine tasting trip with friends.
No progress.
Make it to at least one concert.
Going to Rascal Flatts with Kaitlin in April. Her ticket is her birthday gift from me.
Reread all of the Harry Potter books.
Trying to just get through all the books I have and have yet to read first.
Attend church more often.
So far I've been every Sunday this year! Yeah Me! Yeah God!
Get my passport.
I've filled out the application...twice... I just need to get my picture taken and go to the post office so they can process the paperwork.
Make a real quilt, for myself by myself.
I'm about half way done with it! Again, yeah Me! Although, being as I was banned from using my mom's and my sister's machines, I had to buy my own.
Reconnect with old friends.
Working on it always. One day at a time.
Take life as it's dealt to me with a positive attitude.
Honestly, I think I'm going about this very well.
Take a fun class at a local college or adult school.
Need to look into summer classes. I'm thinking Underwater Basket Weaving sounds like a fun class.
Visit my siblings at where they are living more often.
Haven't done yet. But I will.
Let people know how much I truely appreciate them.
I haven't been very successful at this one. Granted, I haven't told anyone I don't appreciate them. Just so you know, I appreciate YOU!
Take more day trips.
Boo me. I've only gone to L.A. for a quick overnight to see Wicked.
Date more.
How? I don't know how to get dates to date more. Help!
Focus more on God and spending more time with Him.
Ummm...ok... So I haven't been the most successful with this one either.

Until next time...

Movies I've Seen in 2008: February

Step Up (DVD) - What is it about dance movies that make them so great? I love movies like Dirty Dancing, Havana Nights, Save The Last Dance... And I liked Step Up just as equally! Hello! Tatum Channing is H-O-T!!! And a good dancer.

Good Luck Chuck (DVD) - This movie is not what I expected! Yea, it's funny and all, but there is a lot of booby. Think Wedding Crasher meets Along Came Polly. Still a funny movie. But note to self, do not watch with parents.

No Reservations (DVD) - A little slow. More depressing than I thought it was going to be based on what I remember previews to be. Who doesn't like a movie involving food and good looking chefs?

Juno (theater) - I really didn't know what to think going into this movie. I had mixed feelings about the story line, but went to see it anyway. The movie was good. Funny. Thought provoking. Ellen Paige was great! Very funny with all of the Junoisms. I recommend seeing this movie at some point.

Hairspray (DVD) - Can't see how this movie got such raving reviews. Yea, it was good and all, but not as good as I thought it was going to be. John Travolta = not a very good actor playing a woman.

27 Dresses (theater) - Love, love, LOVED this movie! So the story of my life. Always the bridesmaid, never the bride. Doesn't know how to say no. Super cute, funny, entertaining, captivating, etc. Great movie. Can't wait until it's out on DVD.

Table for One

The fact of life is that as you grow older you grow up. Growing older is inevitable, it’s gonna happen. But is growing up inevitable? Of course it is. And at some point being single becomes overwhelmingly obvious.

Maybe it's the fact that all your friends start getting married, and then they start a family. And then, all of your once single friends start doing "coupley things" with other coupley friends. Dinner, movies, outings. I admit, there were times in college that I would go to the movies by myself, mainly because I was generally the only one that wanted to see a certain movie or because I was bored and needed to get out. But as I get older going out and doing things by myself becomes painful. I feel like I have a giant arrow above my head, pointing down at me saying "She's single".

It's especially hard and, well, embarrassing when your own family starts to get on your case about being single, not dating, etc. What can I say? The "right one" just hasn't come around yet. But for crying out loud, back off! What happened to waiting on God's timing? Grandkids will come, I just can't promise that I'll be the first one in the family to have them. And what about when your friends offer to help set you up, but they never do. Good intentions I suppose.

But you know it's bad when your own mother's hairdresser even wants to set you up with someone. What's up with that? And you know it's really bad when people within your place of employment want to set you up with another employee. And since the "setter-upper" doesn't know you that well, he talks to your father about it one weekend when both are working. WOW! But since someone else had mentioned that same person to me, I told her. She's gonna see what she can do. ;)

Don't get me wrong. Set me up all you want. But don't expect "magic" to happen unless it's in God's plan for my life. I'll go on dates. I'll enjoy the company of someone of the opposite sex. And I'll go in with an open mind. There's not harm in that.

But for now, I'm happy. I'm happy with myself and who I am. I'm content. And that someone special in my life not being around isn't going to hinder my happiness. Sure, I get sad about it every now and then; but then I snap out of it, realize things in my life are as they should, and am back to happy. But don't get me wrong, I will be estatic when I someday have my soul mate in my life. Until then, I'll continue to be happy.

And feel free to continue setting me up. I'll consider it weeding and practice.

I love it!

I just heard this quote, and it's fantastic! Now, I know I'm going to butcher it, so don't quote me on it. HA!

"Spas are open because of the customers. So I just volunteered for the job."
Kate on "Jon and Kate Plus 8"

Do you get it?!? Customers keep a business (spa, pedicure place, etc.) open. So as a customer I'm just doing my duty to help keep them open!

Ok, so I wish my memory was better. But my short term is shot. Actually, so is my medium and long term. I need more Ginkgo Biloba!

Only a Mother Could Love...

...A face like this
No fingers were harmed in the shooting of this shot. Izzie actually just woke up and had dry teeth syndrome.

Wasn't yesterday Monday?

or maybe, Why did I get up this morning?

or, Could my day get any worse?

I should have never gotten up this morning. From the moment I found out my toothpaste made it to Fresno in my sister's boyfriend's travel bag by accident after their visit, I knew it was going to be a rotten day. And so far, it has been. Let's see, after I find out I'm toothpasteless and scrounge to find some for the morning, I started to put on my shoes to have my dog projectile vomit all over my clothes. Great! I had to go change, in which I need to do laundry, so I had to scrounge to find clothes to wear to work. Off to an excellent start!

My 9am meeting that was only supposed to be 30 minutes turned into an hour and 30 minutes. During this extra 60 minutes the visitor that the meeting was with decided it would be a great idea to add about 2 weeks of solid work onto my already full plate. Towards the end of the meeting, I had to hold back tears. Overwhelmed much?

It's 2pm now, the day has leveled out. But now, before going to a friends house for dinner, time that I was going to utilize to work on a project now must be spend buying toothpaste. I'm afraid the sky is going to fall on my head if I'm out too for too long.

Or maybe I'll end up spilling something all over myself. Oh, wait, I already do that all the time.

Feed the Poor

and maybe make your way down to a shelter and adopt one too. Visit The Animal Rescue Site, and click the "Click Here to Give - it's FREE" link to donate a dish of food to an animal in a shelter.

You know I like animals, at least dogs, so make sure to feed to poor animals too.

But I guess...

my mom would be my Valentine if I had to choose someone. Only because she loves me, she gave birth to me, she (and my dad) has allowed me to continue living with them, and well, she gave me my most favorite See's chocolate ever... A half pound of milk chocolate bordeaux. So I brought them to work, cause, well, they're safer here than than are at home. So just a bit ago, I cracked open the box to have a little treat.

12, that's right, 12 pieces of heaven. That's one a month for a year. Or one a week until May 1st. Or one a day until February 29th (they're at work remember, so weekends aren't included). Or...one every other hour! (Ok, so you're only seeing 11 chocolates. I was in the process of eatting it before I took the picture.)

I love these chocolates!

And for those of you non-chocolate fans, enjoy the box of Corazones Dulces (conversation hearts).

I Loathe February!

Since today is the day that causes the whole month to be poopy, today is the day that I'll let y'all know why I loathe it so much.

I loathe February...
...because I don't have a Valentine. There I said it, I'm Valentine less. I don't have that special someone to share the day with, or the month with. That said...

I loathe February...
...because it's a poor excuse for boyfriends/fiances/husbands to feel the need to treat their lady to a romantic evening. Why? Why should February 14th be so special? Why not September 17? Why did "society" (aka Hallmark) dub the 14th as the day of romance? I'm sure it goes back to some Greek mythical character. But what's wrong with flowers and a dinner out any other day of the year? Darn commercialism! I bet that Valentine's Day was to help fight the post Christmas woo's with shops having bad sales the first couple months of the year. Yea, that's what it is!

I loathe February...
...and all of the romantic-sappy-made-for-TV-movies that it brings with it. Of course, on a typical Friday evening in February, you'll find me plopped on the couch watching those darn addicting movies. Who doesn't love a cute love story?

I loathe February...
...and all of those red roses that come with it. I just not a red rose kinda gal. I want flowers on my birthday, anniversary, and every other day of the year, just because.

I loathe February...
...because I feel like it's rubbed in that I have no one but myself.

But...
...I do like February because it's my month my sister Kaitlin celebrates her birth.

And...
...I do like February and all the chocolate brings with it. The 14th is the day of calorie free chocolate, right? Now if only the scale would get that memo.

My New Neighbor

That's right. I have a new neighbor. Not sure if it's a whole family, or just a couple. But they're super cute. And they chatter up a storm, especially in the morning. And they're just little things. I took some pictures for you.

My sister and I have named them the Flitterbees. I decided this morning to dub them male Hummer Flitterbee. Because when he flies past you his wings make a humming sound.

Such pretty pink iridescent colors. The male is out most frequently. And he's a bully. He loves to hang out at the top of the almond tree and kick all other birds out.

This is where the hummingbirds are living. Where exactly in there, I don't know. But it's my goal to find out where. But seriously, who wouldn't want to live in the neighborhood? Two feeders and a big bushy lemon tree... The tree really needs to be thinned out though, but we don't want to disturb their nest.

Here Hummer is more from my viewing range.

Anybody need some lemons?

2 weeks down!

It has been 2 complete weeks of working on the house with the professionals. Since I last updated you: all of the new walls are framed in, dry rot above the fireplace is fixed, entrance to the front bedroom from the front room is closed off, new electrical in the back of the house where the major renovations are happening, we've gotten lumber to build a fence around the house. Plumbing starts this week. That's about it for now. I don't have any pictures right now. I'll take some for you later.

Flip this way or that

Today I woke up a little late for work. Not really for work, I made it there on time just fine. But normally in the morning I'll get up at about 6:15am, hop in the shower, then climb back in bed where it is warm and so my hair can air dry some. Well, my first alarm clock, the 6:15 wake up call, didn't go off. In fact, the whole thing lost power. But luckily my second alarm clock, the cell phone set for 7:20, did go off. Drat, I still have to shower, but can't crawl back in bed for a few extra minutes of shut eye. Which also didn't allow for the full amount of time I need to blow dry and straighten my hair. Fortunately, unfortunately, I have naturally wavy hair. So, mousse and gel it is! It's a curly hair day! It's not like I've never done the curly hair look for work. But apparently a gal who works in the same area as my has never see, or noticed, the craziness of it. And she told me the new perm looks good. Blah! Perms are yucky! I would know, I actually (many, many years ago) had my hair permed, numerous times. That's beside the point.

Later in the day I visited the little ladies room and I made an observation. My hair, which when straightened will end up flipping out on the right and under on the left, but when curly apparently flips out on the left and under on the right. What's up with that?

Sorry, I have no photos as an example. You'll just have to visualize.

Less Overwhelmed

Maybe by listing off what I've completed each day I'll feel less overwhelmed and more caught up. Well, it's at least worth a shot... So here's what I've done so far today.

Personal:
Faxed off proof of Izzie getting rabies shot to Merced Animal Control.
Filled out passport application.
Update weight tracker on blog.
Installed Turbo Tax 2007 on computer. (ok, I really did that last night, but it's done none the less.)
Call Pier 1 about rug I saw in shop yesterday. Drat, not on clearance like I hoped and prayed, $399...
Wrote down (actually typed) all of the cool "National Day of..." for January before throwing that sheet of my desk calendar away.
Read through a month of my new favorite blogger.
Voted.
Imported 2 CDs onto my computer.
Got my taxes done.

Work:
P5 Capability
Leakers
Closed IP Files for P1, P2, P4, P5
Scanned over 100 documents.
Worked on updating the vendor assurance requirements.

Quote of the Day

I honestly don't know who said it, but I stole it from my new favorite blog to read The Pioneer Woman.

"I’d rather have a bottle in front of me than a frontal lobotomy."
Anonymous

HAHA! Love it!

Cross that off!

Yesterday, instead of solely focusing on the Superbowl (I know, how un-American of me!), I did something that I've needed to do for awhile. That's right, I balanced 10 months of banking and credit card statements. I skipped the traditional lunch with friends after church and came home, put my sweats on, and got to work sorting and organizing before I could actually get down to business. By 1am, I was done. And it feels good to check that to-do off of my list!

Now if only I could check the rest off quicker than I'm putting them on the list...

Help Yourself!

For everyone who is always in need of some self help advice, you need to visit Dalebert Sephelp's Help Yourself - A Self-Help Program youtube channel. Dalebert is a great guys and has been a true inspiration in my life. Please take the time to visit his page.

Here's a good idea...

(Don't know who wrote it, but I might just have to agree.)

Like a lot of folks in this state, I have a job. I work, they pay me. I pay my taxes and the government distributes my taxes as it sees fit. In order to get that paycheck, I am required to pass a random urine test with which I have no problem. What I do have a problem with is the distribution of my taxes to people who don't have to pass a urine test. Shouldn't one have to pass a urine test to get a welfare check because I have to pass one to earn it for them? Please understand, I have no problem with helping people get back on their feet. I do, on the other hand, have a problem with helping someone sitting on their butt, doing drugs, while I work... Can you imagine how much money the state would save if people had to pass a urine test to get a public assistance check?

RIP Little Guy

Yesterday we lost a member of our family. After making the hard decision, it was decided that it was time to put Oscar our dachshund to sleep. He was a good pet, more or less, for the past 16 years. Just within the last year things got rough for him as his eye sight and hearing started to fail him. The decision was hard for some. But his quality of life was just not there anymore. Poor little stinky Oscar. May you run free in doggy heaven.